User interfaces (UIs) and human machine interfaces (HMIs) allow a user or operator to control a machine. Capacitive touch interfaces are becoming more popular, including capacitive touch displays that provide user input capabilities as well as display of data, graphics or other information to an operator. In certain applications, however, mechanical user interface control devices or elements are desired, alone or in addition to capacitive touch interfaces. In the past, potentiometers or other rotary or linear variable resistor elements have been used for control knobs or slider control elements in control panels or other HMIs. More recently, mechanical HMI control elements are being replaced by capacitive touch control elements, like touch wheels, sliders and buttons. Capacitive HMI technology offers long life time, low implementation costs, and ease of use as a sealed fluid and gas proof control element, which is beneficial in areas of operation with explosives and chemical processes. Pure capacitive sensing HMIs, however, suffer from certain technology related disadvantages, such as the immediate response at a touch event, without any tactile threshold, to be sensed by the user. Thus in some applications, either for user experience or safety of operation reasons there is a desire for HMI elements with a certain physical threshold for triggering the control function, while maintaining the advantages of capacitive HMIs. Capacitive HMIs also suffer from susceptibility to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Capacitive position sensing for rotary and/or linear control elements of an HMI provides certain advantages, particularly where the user interface circuitry is sealed. For example, certain HMI applications call for fluid and gas proof control elements, including control elements for areas of operation with explosives and chemical processes. However, capacitive sensing systems are susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI).